‘Tis the Season

…for Christmas cookies!

bakers

dough

cookie cutters

sugar cookies

decorators too busy to look at the camera

gingerbread men

I am so grateful to the Lord for my sisters!

One Thing!

One thing

One thing

ONE THING!

have I desired of the Lord

that will I seek after;

that I may dwell in the house of the Lord

all the days of my life,

to behold the beauty of the Lord,

and to inquire in His temple.

One thing!

Not

my safety

my comfort

my happiness

my peace

ONE THING,

one desire burns in me,

that I may

dwell with the Lord,

and worship Him,

and know Him,

and meditate on Him,

and love Him!

Lord, help me today to seek after this one thing!

Psalm 27:4

Thank You, Lord

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights…” ~James 1:17

Thank You, Lord, for…

~the faithful changing of the seasons

~the relevance of Your Word to my life

~the comfort of Your Holy Spirit dwelling in my heart

~the promise of eternal glory with You

~Your providential purposes in earthly suffering

~the softness of a baby’s cheek

~the majesty of Your creation

~freedom to read Your Word

~health and energy to run

~enabling grace to crippled sinners

~Your faithfulness throughout all of history

~the sweet scent of flowers

~Your children who left Godly examples for us to follow

~sweet and beautiful music

~Your daily, merciful forgiveness of my countless sins

~guiding me with Your eye

~birds that sing

~being the firm, unshifting Rock beneath my feet

~comforting us in our hurts

~answering prayers

~the beauty of the ocean

~Godly preachers you have raised up to declare Your Word

~becoming flesh and understanding our weakness

~sisters to cheer and comfort me

~parents to help and guide me

~the depth of Your redeeming power

~Your all-encompassing sovereignty

~giving me songs to sing

~always supplying my every need

~laughter with friends

~faithfully and patiently teaching me Your ways

~working all things together for the good

~a comforting haven to call home

~Your unending love

And on and on the list continues,

because every good gift comes from the Lord!

May the Lord bless you all with a Thanksgiving Day filled with the joy that comes from blessing His Holy Name!

Preparing For Thanksgiving

…by remembering the first!

“To all ye Pilgrims:

Inasmuch as the great Father has given us this year an abundant harvest of Indian corn, wheat, peas, squashes, and garden vegetable, and has made the forests to abound with game and the sea with fish and clams, and inasmuch as he has protected us from the ravages of the savages, has spared us from pestilence and disease, has granted us freedom to worship God according to the dictates of our own conscience; now, I, your magistrate, do proclaim that all ye Pilgrims, with your wives and your little ones, do gather at ye meeting house, on ye hill, between the hours of 9 and 12 in the  day time on Thursday, November 29, of the year of our Lord one thousand six hundred and twenty three, and the third year since ye Pilgrims landed on ye Pilgrim Rock, there to listen to ye pastor and render thanksgiving to ye Almighty God for all His blessings.”

~William Bradford

A Laborer For God

Below is an excerpt from the testimony I shared at the BL Mother & Daughter Tea last week…

“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.” (I Corinthians 15:58)

The Greek root word used in this verse for “labor” is kopto. It means “to chop, to cut down, to beat.” To labor at something is to be “chopped up,” to be made emotionally or physically weak.

I sometimes walk through this life expecting “Holly Pond Hill.” “Holly Pond Hill” is a delightful, close-nit village where bunnies wear frilly dresses and bake cinnamon apple pies. The flowers bloom perfectly. The cottages are never cluttered. Everything is ideal, lovely, and sweet.

But “Holly Pond Hill” is an imaginary place. Real life has sweet moments of beauty, but these moments are fleeting. Real life consists of struggles, heartache, and firey trials. Real life is laborious. “Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you” (I Peter 4:12).

Sometimes real life hurts. Every day we experience disappointments and heartaches at some level. But in our brokenness, God gives us hope! We can press on and even rejoice in our labor, because with the Lord, our labor is never in vain. It is never without purpose. It is never “without a gift,” as the Greek definition describes.

There are three things we can do to make the most of our labor, to find purpose and even joy in the difficult challenges of life.

1) Make sure all your labor is “in the Lord.”

We can work in the Lord or outside the Lord. Our labor outside the Lord will never be truly profitable- it will be meaningless, insignificant, and useless. But if our labor is in the Lord it will never be in vain. Labor in the Lord will always produce fruit, whether it is exciting, visible growth or the quiet character building of our own hearts. Sometimes we cannot understand or see the fruit right away, but when we are in the Lord, we can be certain that He is actively at work.

How can we labor “in the Lord”? All of our work can be in the Lord when we take on a Christ-like spirit. When we wash the dishes with a joyful smile, we are laboring in the Lord. When we serve little children with a patient attitude, or do our schoolwork with diligence, we are in the Lord.

We are to be “abounding in the work of the Lord.” What is this work of the Lord? The work of the Lord is the redemption and purification of His people (Titus 2:14). He wants us to take part in this work by, first, diligently pursuing His redemption and purification in our own lives, and second, helping others to know Him as Redeemer and Lord. Whenever we work for the glory of God, sincerely desiring to His Name to be lifted up, our labor is not in vain.

2) Be steadfast and immovable.

Persevere. Be persistent, firm, unwavering. Don’t give up!

How can we persevere when we feel “chopped up” and tired? We can persevere because Christ is the One who gives the victory. He is the real Laborer- we are just instruments in His hands, as He accomplishes His work and plan.

This verse in 1 Corinthians 15 is in the context of an explanation of Christ’s victory over death. Verse 57 says, “But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” In this hope we can continue firm and strong.

“Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” (I John 4:10)

3) Know this encouragement.

As we stand steadfast and abound in the work of the Lord, we need to remember God’s purposes in our labor. How easy it is to forget God’s eternal perspective when we feel sweaty and worn out! But if we keep this knowledge ever before us, by meditating on His Encouraging Word, we will experience joy and hope that surpasses the pains of our earthly labors.

Thanksgiving Tea

Last night we had the fourth annual Bright Lights Mother & Daughter Thanksgiving Tea!

We had a delightful evening of singing, special music, a skit, testimonies, good conversation, and, of course, tea and dessert!

The skit featured “live” interviews pilgrim Anne Bradstreet (above) and Indian princess, Pocahontas (below). Both of these women loved the Lord and were thankful for His faithfulness toward them.